Determinants of Voluntary CSR Disclosure : The Economic Perspective
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2010-05-19
Author(s)
Abstract
Today, companies spend a lot of effort in their reporting on corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR reporting relates to the provision of information regarding the companies' voluntary contribution to sustainable development. From an economic perspective, companies might disclose this information for avoiding/decreasing potential political costs. Based on GRI-guidelines, we use content analysis to document the amount of CSR-disclosures of stock-listed German companies. Furthermore, we focus on a number of firm-specific factors that are likely to proxy for high political and/or societal costs and argue that companies try to reduce those costs by proactively communicating specific CSR-information. In doing so, we try to explain why companies disclose CSR information. Our results show that reporting on social issues is affected by social constraints and shareholder structure. Contrary to our hypotheses is that profitability as well as the companies' relationship to US stakeholders have no influence on companies' disclosures. Finally, size and industry affect the amount of CSR-disclosure.
Language
English
HSG Classification
not classified
Refereed
Yes
Book title
EURAM 2010: Back to the Future
Publisher
European Academy of Management
Publisher place
Brüssel
Event Title
10th Annual European Academy of Management Conference (EURAM) 2010
Event Location
Rom
Event Date
19.-22.05.2010
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
208538